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Oklahoma City Thunder ready to make up for last season: 2014 NBA Western Conference Playoffs preview

THUNDER_CLIPPERS_BASKETBALL_16587115.JPG

Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook celebrates a dunk against the Los Angeles Clippers in a regular season game on April 9. With a healthy Westbrook, the Thunder are a championship contender.
(AP Photo, Danny Moloshok)

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The 2014 NBA playoffs are set to get
underway on Saturday as 15 teams look to end the Miami Heat’s reign as
the NBA champions.

The Western Conference has been by far the best
conference this season, with the Phoenix Suns (48-34) not making the
playoffs. That same record would have tied for the third seed in the
Eastern Conference. With so many talented teams, the
winner of this conference will have earned it and be ready for the East
champ.

Here is a look at the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs:

No. 1 San Antonio Spurs (62-20) vs. No. 8 Dallas Mavericks (49-33)

Every year, the question arises: Is this the season
that the Spurs' run finally ends? Just like the past few seasons, the
team answered that with an emphatic no.

The biggest thing that makes San
Antonio so tough to beat is how effective the
team is on offense. The Spurs lead the NBA in 3-point field goal percentage
(39.7 percent from three), point differential (7.8 ppg) and assists (25.8 apg). You can count on Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker giving
the team big minutes in the playoffs.

However,
the wildcard on this team is Kawhi Leonard. The third-year forward can
get points in many different ways, but is also responsible for guarding
the other team’s best perimeter player. If Leonard is able to improve
off last season’s impressive playoff run, the
Spurs are going to be difficult to beat.

San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard steals the ball against the Dallas Mavericks in a regula season game. Leonard is looked at as the future of the team.(AP Photo/LM Otero)

The Mavericks made one of the riskiest moves last
offseason by signing Monta Ellis. Known through his career as a guy who needs to put up a lot of shots, Ellis has played a good brand of
team basketball this season. He is the type of player who can erupt for 40 points on any given night, but has learned to
play with his Mavericks teammates extremely well. Nowitzki became the
fourth player in NBA history to average at least 20 points in his 16th
season or later, joining Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone and Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar as the only players to accomplish that. One of the biggest
reasons guys like Dirk and Ellis have been so effective this season is
because of the freedom coach Rick Carlisle allows his
players to have. The Mavericks do a great job of spacing the floor, and
always seem to find the mismatch on the court.

Prediction:
The Mavericks have enough firepower to compete in every game, but
in the end, the Spurs are playing too well for Dallas to win the
series.
Spurs in five.

No. 4 Houston Rockets (54-28) vs. No. 5 Portland Trailblazers (54-28)

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard drives to the basket against the Dallas Mavericks early in the season. Lillard must have a big series for Portland to have a chance against the Houston Rockets. (Tom Fox/ Dallas Morning News/ MCT)

Dwight Howard had a solid season this year for the
Rockets, averaging 18 points and 12 rebounds. However, he was not given $88 million for solid regular seasons. The Rockets' backcourt play is as good as there is the conference, but they need
the most talented center in the NBA to play like that.

James Harden is continuing to show he is capable of being the star of a team,
ranking fifth in the NBA in scoring (25.4 ppg). With role players such
as Chandler Parsons, Terrence Jones and Patrick Beverly, the Rockets
have the firepower to play with anybody in the NBA.
However, the defense will have to play better if they are going to
compete. They ranked 23rd in the NBA in points allowed (103.1 ppg), which is the worst for any NBA playoff team.
That defense will be put to the test against a Trail Blazers team that can flat out score.

Despite being in only his second NBA season, Damian
Lillard is proving to be as good a point guard as there is in the NBA.
The former Weber State star averages 20.4 points for the Trail Blazers,
and has shown the ability to finish at the
rim despite being only 6-foot-3. While he is dominating the backcourt
for Portland, the team also has a star in the post in LaMarcus Aldridge.
The power forward averaged a double-double this year with 23.2 ppg and
11.1 rpg, and was one of only four players
in the NBA to average at least 20 and 10. Lillard and Aldridge may be
the best duo in the NBA when it comes to running the pick-and-roll, and
that allows guys like Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews to spot up at
the 3-point line. Like the Rockets, the team
struggles to stop opponents as it ranks 22nd in the NBA in points allowed. The key in this series will be which team is able to get the stops in crunch time.

Prediction:
This has the makings of being one of the most exciting series in the playoffs, as both teams are capable of scoring in bunches.
Trail Blazers in six.

This series was going to be fun to watch because of
the style both of these teams play. However, add the fact there is
legitimate animosity between the teams, and you have the most
intriguing series of any first-round matchup. The Clippers
have been terrific under first-year coach Doc Rivers, who has helped his
frontcourt to evolve into dominating players. Both DeAndre Jordan and
Blake Griffin were known as dunkers, but they have become more complete
players. Jordan led the league in rebounds with
13.7, and has a great chance of winning the defensive player of the
year. Griffin has developed a legitimate 15-18 foot
jump shot, making him nearly impossible to slow down.

With Chris Paul
running the show, there are still plenty of highlight
plays in Los Angeles, but this team is more prepared for the playoffs
than in past seasons. With guys like J.J. Redick, Jamal Crawford and
Matt Barnes spacing the floor, teams can ill afford to double team the
post. When the Clippers are on top of their game,
they have the ability to play with anybody in the West. The Clippers
must control their emotions, as Griffin was ejected in a game earlier
this season against the Warriors, and guard Klay Thompson sparked the
fire with some trash talk about Griffin flopping
on Wednesday.

The Warriors are brash and are not
intimidated by anybody, and have taken on the personality of their
coach, Marc Jackson. With the “Splash Brothers,” Golden State has the
best shooting backcourt in guard Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
However, Curry has proven to be more than just a scorer, as he averages
8.5 assists. With Andre Iguodala and Harrison Barnes playing the small
forward, the Warriors have terrific athletes who can just get out and
run with any team in the NBA. However, it
is the inside play that is a question mark. David Lee and Andrew Bogut
are both terrific players when healthy, but have both had major problems
with injuries this season. Lee should be ready to go for Game 1, and
Golden State will need his 18.2 points and
9.3 rebounds to compete, as it will most likely be without Bogut
throughout the playoffs. The Warriors showed in the playoffs last season
that they can cause some havoc, as they had the Spurs on the ropes
before falling in six games in a Western Conference
semifinal.

Prediction:
This will be the most competitive series in the first round, but in the end, home court will be the difference.
Clippers in seven.

Last season these teams met in the postseason,
with the Grizzlies winning in five games. However, the Thunder was not
at full strength, and that is because all-star guard Russell Westbrook
was out with an injury. While Kevin Durant just
won his fourth scoring title in five years by averaging 32 points,
Westbrook is the heart and soul of the team. He is relentless
when attacking the rim, and is an underrated defender who has the
ability to take the opposing point guard out of the
game. While he can be out of control at times, the Thunder is a
completely different team when he is on the floor. However, another
improvement on this season’s team is the play of the bench. Reggie
Jackson played well when he filled in for Westbrook last
season, while proven veterans like Derek Fisher and Caron Butler give
the Thunder leadership and the ability to hit big shots. The frontcourt
of Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka will be tested by the Grizzlies' terrific post duo, but has the strength and athleticism
to give the Memphis duo of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph problems.

The Grizzlies were in big trouble early in the season,
going just 13-19 in their first 32 games. Gasol was injured for much of
that run, and once he came back, the Grizzlies started to resemble the
team that made it to the Western Conference
finals. Memphis does a great job of passing the ball, and it starts
with the center Gasol. Outside of Chicago's Joakim Noah, no post player passes the
ball better than Gasol. With the ability of Randolph to dominate on the
block, it allows Gasol to stay at the high
post where he can dominate. Point guard and former Ohio State Buckeye Mike Conley has been tremendous
this season, averaging a career-high 17.2 points. The Grizzlies do a
great job of taking care of the ball, turning it over only 12.9 times
per game. That is a huge key in this series, as
no team in the NBA is as effective in transition as the Thunder. For
Memphis to win, it will have to slow the tempo down and make it a
half-court game.

Prediction:
The Thunder are a different team with a healthy Russell Westbrook, and that will be the difference.
Thunder in five.

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